Wardrobe case section closure flap



Sept. 30, 1941. 'J. RITTE R, JR-

WARDROBE CASE SECTION CLOSURE FLAP Filed April 15, 1940 lNVl ENTOR ATTORN EY Patented Sept. 30, 1941 wAnnn-oee CASE OFFICE v Julius Bitter, Jr., Racine; Wis, assignor to Hartmann Trunk Company,

ration of Wisconsin Racine, Wis., a corpo- Application April 13, 1940, Serial No. 329,399

1 Claim.

'This invention relates to improvements in wardrobe case section closure flaps. 1 In certain wardrobe cases of the hand luggage type, particularly adapted for ladies garments, thecover sections are equipped with fixtures for folding and compacting dresses and like garments to house the same primarily within the cover sections of the cases. Flexible retainer curtains are secured in a manner so as to be extended over the packed garments to cover and protect the same and to'segregate these garments from those a packed within other portions of the luggage case. A retainer curtain of the type mentioned usually has one of its edges permanently secured within one end of the case section, and for covering purposes theopposite' end is detachably secured within the opposite end of said case section. Consequently, a curtain arrangement of this type is only practical and suitable where it is convenient to completely close the said section of the luggage case, and the use ofthe curtain prohibits extension of garmentsbeyond the outline of the cover of the case into, for'instance, a portion of the body of the case.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to overcome the above objections or limitations by providing a container section closure flap or curtain which is securable over the open face of a container section, to completely cover and protect garments within said section, but which will, when extended, permit the draping of end portions of long garments into a portion of theother section of the luggage case.

A furtherobject of the invention is to provide acontainer section closure flap which will function in the usual manner, but whichwill, moreover, permit long garments to extend beyond the section covered by the curtain, and which will cover and protect extendedportions of such garments and prevent the same from catching in any of the hinged elementsof the luggage case. Afurther object of the invention is to provide an improved permanent means of attachment between one endof a closure flap or curtain and the inner end of a luggage casesection; with saidmeans of attachment permitting the formation of a slit or opening at said end of the curtain. a

ignate the same or similar parts in the various a A further object of the invention is to provide a; wardrobe caseclosure flap or curtain which i is attached to a case section in a manner so as to, provide a main curtain portion for the case section, and an auxiliary protective flap portion effective in another part of thecwardrobe case.

Afllrtheriobject. of the invention is to provide a wardrobe case including a garment folding and compacting frame and a closure flap or cur tain, the frame being pivotally mounted within the inner end of the cover of the case and having its inner end equipped with detachable mounting means for individual garment bars, and the closureflap orcurtain being secured within the inner end of the cover by attaching means extending inwardly of the inner ends of the frame, and spacedly from the garment bar mounting means.

Stillanother object of the present invention is to provide a wardrobe case structure, including a closure flap or curtain for one of the case sec-' tions, which is of very simple construction. and is inexpensive to manufacture.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the followingdetailed description.

A clear conception of an embodiment of the invention may be had by referring to the drawing accompanying and forminga part of this specification in which like reference characters desviews: Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view through an open wardrobe case, showing the garment folding frame positioned over the body section of the case preparatory to loading and folding garments, andshowing the improved closure flap or curtain in its released and inoperative position; Fig. 2 is a similar transverse sectional View through the open case showing the garment supporting frame in loaded position within the cover section of the case and showing the'closure flap or curtain engaged and closing the open face of the cover section of the case; V Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary. plan View, partly in section, showing the case sections open,

the frame in lowered position, and the attaching means for the inner end of the closure flap or curtain;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the mounting means for the individual garment bars at theinner end of the frame and the curtain in its released and inoperative position; and l Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the manner in which theends of the individual garment bars are engaged or disengaged with the holding means therefor onthe inner end of the frame.

While the invention has been shown and dea as being applied, by way of i-l-.

scribed herein lustratiomto a relatively small and light luggage or wardrobe case for ladies garments, it should be understood that some of the novel features are more generally applicable to. other types and classes of luggage carriers, and it is not the intent to limit the invention by such specific disclosure.

The improved wardrobe case illustrated in the drawing comprises in general a body section 8 having a cover section 9 pivotally or hingedly connected thereto by means of a hinge strip at the meeting inner end portions of the body and cover sections. The garment folding and confining mechanism is mounted entirely within the cover section 9, but the garment folding frame is adapted to be moved down to extend over the body section 8, as in Fig. l, for loading purposes. The body section 8 may be provided with the usual carrying handle I0, and the cover section 9 may be swung into engagement with the body section and locked thereto by means of the usual latches II. The cover section 9 is held in substantially upright position when the body section 8 is disposed horizontally and the cover section 9 is in open position, by means of foldably connected stays or retainers I2 of the usual type. r v v i r The improved garment folding and supporting fixture comprises generally a garment folding frame I3 having the extreme inner end portions of its side arms outwardly offset or flanged and supported by means of pivots I4 upon the inner side walls of the cover section 9 near the hinge connection of said cover section with the body section. The frame I3 has an integral transverse garment folding bar I5 connecting the .outer ends of the side members of the frame and remote from the pivots Id. The inner side wall portions of the body section 8 of the case are provided with cleats I6 upon which the outer end of the frame I3 is supported when the frame is in its horizontal position. 1

The inner end'of each side arm H of the frame has secured thereto the short side of a U-bracket I8. The Ubrackets are secured to the arms I! in a manner so that the sides of the U-brackets are perpendicular to the arms H. The free ends or arms I9 of the brackets I8 are relatively long and-have outwardly flared curved and grooved guide ears at their free extremities. The main extents of said bracket portions I9 have elongated slots 2'I therein. The arms I9 of the brackets I8 are furthermore of spring metal and are yieldable. When the frame is in the horizontal position of Fig. 1, said bracket arms I9 project vertically upwardly, while when the frame is in its vertical position within the cover of the case, said arms I9 of the brackets project transversely of the inner end of the cover, as in Fig. 2. It will thus be seen that the yieldable and slotted arms I9 of the brackets I8 are carried directly by the inner ends of the arms I'I of the frame I3. Said bracket arms I9 provide means for mounting, on the inner end of the frame, a plurality of super-. imposed individual garment bars 22. Each bar 22 is formed with reduced stub ends 23 to engage and move in the slots 2| of the bracket arms I9. Said stub ends, being flattened, coact'wi'th the slots 2I in a manner to prevent rotation of the bars relative to the brackets I8, while permittin movement of the bars longitudinally of they slots.

When it is desired to load the improved wardrobe case with garments, the garmentbars 22' are first removed and the individual garmentszare folded over said bars which are then inserted inthe bracket arms I9 in stacked relationship, as in Fig. l. The frame I3 is disposed as shown and the ends of the garments extend out over the frame and forward end of the body section ofthe case. The frame I3 may then be swung upwardly away from the cleats I6, whereupon the transverse bar I5 becomes effective to fold the garments intermediate the extremities of the same and to impose secondary folds therein. The frame I3 is swung to the position of Fig. 2 entirely within the open cover section of the case, and if the garments or dresses are rather long, extended end portions of the same are accommodated within the inner end of the body section 8 of the wardrobe case. This is when the particularly advantageous features of the improved closure flap or curtain come into play.

The curtain or flap is designated generally by the numeral 24. This curtain or flap is of fabric and is flexible and may preferably be formed of several plies of the fabric. Its outer or free end portion encloses a rigid transverse strip 25 to which is secured, medially of its ends, a strap carrying one element 26 of a clasp device. The longitudinal dimension of the flap or curtain is substantially greater than that of the cover section 9 which it is adapted to close. Substantially midway between the transverse center line of the curtain 24 and its depending lower or in nor edge, flexible securing straps 21 have portions sewed or otherwise securedto side edge portions of the curtain 24. The opposite ends of said straps 21 are permanently secured to. inner surface portions of the rear wall of the cover section 9, as at 28. It will thus'be seen that side edge portions of the curtain 24 substantially inwardly of the inner edge of said curtain, are attached to the inner rear wall of the cover section 9 of the case. When the fixture or frame I3 is loaded with long garments and manipulated in the man-- ner previously described, it moves into the cover of the case, as in Fig. 2. Initially the upper or outer end of the curtain 24 is released and the curtain is disposed in the inoperative position illustrated in Fig. 1. However, when the cover section of the case becomes loaded in the manner described. it is desirable to secure the curtain 24 over the open faceof the cover section 9 to cover and protect the garments on the frame I3 and to hold and maintain theframe and garments thereon within the cover section 9. For this purpose the element 26 of the clasp is engaged with a complementary clasp element 29 secured within the outer or free end of the cover section 9. The transversely spaced apart straps -21 then serve to secure a lower portion of the curtain adjacent the inner end portion of the cover, and the larger portion of the curtain or flap 24 is tautly applied over the open face of the cover and serves its function in the usual manner.- However, that portion of the curtain inwardly of the securing straps 21 forms an auxiliary depending flap which drapes into the inner end of the body section 8 of the case. If the garments on' the frame I3 are long, end portions of the same may extend downwardly into the rear end of the body section of the case, as depicted in Fig.2, said extended end portions of the garments being ac-j commodated between'the spaced straps 2'1; and being substantiallycovered and protectedbylthe depending flap portion of the curtain 24. Therefore, the manner in which said curtain is con-.- structed and secured permits it to serve attwofold purpose. It covers the open face of the. cover section 9 in the usual manner and it also provides an auxiliary flap extending into the body section of the case for covering andiprotecting extendedendportions of garments. The securing means for the inner portion of the curtainis suchthat a space is provided to permit the extension of the end portions of the garments from the cover section into the body section of the case.

The improved curtain, and its mode of attachment, is effective in view of the simple form of the frame 13 utilized, wherein the mountings for the individual garment bars 22 are carried directly by the frame and said elements, including the pivots of the frame, are located substantially away from the points of attachment of the curtain 24. The movable parts of the frame will not catch or engage the curtain, and furthermore sufficient clearance is provided for the extended end portions of the long garments. If the garments on the frame l3 are accommodated entirely within the cover section 9 of the case, then the inner extended flap portion of the curtain merely drapes against the inner rear wall of the body section 8 of the case, and only becomes effective when it is required for long extended garment portions.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the improved wardrobe case section closure flap is simple, easily manipulated and inexpensive. Its connection with the cover section of the case is such as to permit clothes to be extended beyond the cover section of the case and thereby differs from the usual form of container section curtains and the manner in which they are attached.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact details of construction herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the claim may occur to persons skilled in the art.

What is claimed as the invention is: In a luggage case, a body section, a cover section, having a rear wall thereof hingedly connected to an adjacent wall of the body section, a fixture for folding and compacting garments, said fixture including a frame having its inner ends connected by pivots to inner wall portions of the cover section slightly spaced outwardly of the hinged Wall of the cover section, inner end portions of the frame having garment folding bars removably mounted directly thereon, substantially spaced from the hinged wall of the cover, the ends of said bars terminating short of the sides of the cover section, said fixture being adapted to swing into the cover section of the case to house folded garments within said cover section, a flexible curtain for closing the open face of the cover section, elongated flexible transversely spaced apart straps having their ends attached respectively to intermediate side portions of the curtain and to spaced end portions of the hinged rear wall of the cover, the connections of said straps with the cover being removed from the pivotal connections of the fixture frame and from the bars carried by the inner end of said frame, said curtain being of substantially greater height than the cover section, and clasp members detachably connecting the outer end of the curtain to the free end of the cover section, the inner end portion of the curtain, beyond said straps, forming a foldable flap depending a substantial distance into the rear of the body section of the case to accommodate between it and wall portions of the case extended end portions of garments draping from the cover section into the body section of the case.

JULIUS BITTER, JR. 

